Elisha wells



E. WELLS.

WAGON BODY.

(No Model.)

No. 374.222. Patented Dec. 6, 1887.

El vw auto c MAJ/11.4,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELISHA WELLS, OF WEST PLAINS,1VIISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE HALF TO 7 ROBERT G. GREEN, OF SAME PLACE.

WAGON-B10 DY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 374,222, dated December 6, 1887.

Application filed March 11, 1387. Serial No. 230,524. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELISHA WELLs, a citizen of the United States, residing at West .Plains, in the county of Howell and State of of the socket-brackets hereinafter described, embraced in the appended claims, and pointed out in the accompanying drawings, in Which Figure 1 is a perspective view of I a wagon body or bed having my invention attached. Fig. 2 represents a perspective view of one of the socket-brackets detached. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a blank of the said socket'bracket.

Referring to the drawings by letter, A designates a wagon-body or bed having the fixed side pieces,'B, and the detachable side pieces, 0, connected to the fixed side pieces, to increase the capacity of the bed. Firmly secured to each piece 0, at suitable points thereon, is the vertical standard D, of which the parts (1 that depend below the said side piece are made slightly tapering, as shown in the drawings, Fig. l.

D D are the socket-brackets to receive and support the corresponding depending parts (I of the standard, which fit snugly therein and are braced both longitudinally and transversely thereby, when the meeting edges of the fixed and detachable side pieces are nearly in contact. Each of said socket-brackets is stamped or knocked 'up from a blank, E, having the shape shown in Fig. 3.

The blank is made of a single piece of plate metal, is symmetrical or similarly shaped on each side of its central vertical line when in position, and is provided on its side edges at its top with the perforated ears 6 e. e e are perforated ears on the said side edges near the bottom of t the blank, which ears have downwardly-extending points 6 e, separated bracket being flush, or nearly so, with the by a rectangular cut-away portion or space, a. Vertically above said space the blank is provided with the transverse parallel slots 0* 6*, decreasing slightly in length and equally at each end from above downward, and in the same proportion as the depending parts (I of the standard D decrease in width from above downward. V

e e are rectangular projections which stand vertically upward from the ears 6 e on each side.

To form the socket-bra cket the blank is bent at right angles along the lines X X, in which the corresponding ends of the slots 6 6 lie, and of which the said ends form part, and again bent at right angles in the opposite direction on lines X X, parallel to the former lines, and having a distance outwardly therefrom equal to the thickness of any one of the depending parts (i of the standard D. The blank, when bent as described, has formed upon it the socket e, the outer side of which is provided with the slots 6*, and to accomplish the binding the transverse slits e 6 must be cut from the upper edge of the space 6 to the lines at 00, respectively. The inner edges of the space e are also brought into contact when the blank is properly bent. The socketbracket being thus formed, is attached at suitable points tothe fixed side of the wagon-bed in the following manner: The projections e are bent over the upper edge of said fixed side until their upper parts rest against the inner surface thereof, the upper edge of the socket- 5 corresponding edge of the side. The pins F are then driven through the ears 6 and e, and a similar pin is driven between the edges of the space 6 so that its head will press on said edges and prevent the points e from turning outward or upward. If desired, screws may be substituted for the said pins. The depending parts of the standard D fit snuglyinto the sockets so formed, and are braced apart thereby, so as to overcome any tendency to warp in the detachable side piece. The standard also tends to brace similarly the fixed side piece between the sockets. As the standard has no lateral motion in the socket, the constant jarring sidewise on the standard, which on acrco count of leverage is apt to split the sides, is avoided, making the bed more durable. The socket-brackets can be made ornamental as Well as useful.

Having described my invention, I claim-- 1. The combination, with the Wagon-bed having the fixed side pieces, B, of the socketbrackets having the projections 6 secured over the upper edge of side pieces, and the ears e e, and points 6 secured to the outer side of the same, asset forth.

2. The improved socket-bracket herein described and shown, having the downwardlytapering socket e the projections e at its upper end, the points 6' at its lower end, and the ears e e on the sides, as set forth. 7

3. The combination, in a wagon body or bed, of the detachable side piece, 0, and the vertical standard D, secured thereto and provided with the tapering depending parts (1, with the 20 fixed side piece, B, and the socket-brackets D, secured thereto, with the depending parts d fitting snugly in the sockets thereof, made from a single piece of plate metal, and provided with the slots 6, the ears 6 6, through which they are secured to the side piece, 13, by the pins F, the projections 6 bent over the upper edge of the piece B, as described, and the downwardly-projecting points 6 6, held together by the head of a pin, F, driven between them, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ELISHA WELLS.

Witnesses:

JAMES S. KELIN, ELMER STONE. 

